The Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties witnessed the dramatic transformations of China's feudal society. Based on the development of Song & Yuan dynasties, the handicraft industry in Zhejiang continued to grow quickly. The mid-Ming dynasty saw an increasing setup of textile and silk workshops in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou region and lots of new towns came into being along the banks of the Grand Canal. As a result, Zhejiang economy boomed even more.
 Wang Yangming
  
The solid economic foundation also helped bring the literature, art and ideology to the height of power and splendor. 
   
As for ideology, the famous Yuyao idealist Wang Yangming in Ming dynasty created the theory of human conscience. It became popular then and enlightened scholars of Ming and Qing dynasties, and even the whole modern Chinese ideology. At the turn from Ming dynasty to Qing dynasty, two ideologists and patriots, Huang Zongxi and Zhu Shunshui, were also from Yuyao County. Huang Zongxi was the originator of the Eastern Zhejiang School in Qing dynasty. Through the observations of Chinese history, politics, economics, philosophy, astronomy and geography, Huang Zongxi had completed 72 works in these fields among which the book Mingyidaifanglu (a record of Mingyi awaiting exploration) criticized the feudal system, put forward the importance of industry and trade, and revealed the native democratic thoughts. His book Mingruxue¡¯an (a case study of Ming scholars) was the first complete history works on philosophy and learning in China. The famous thinker, scholar and historian Gong Zizhen in late Qing dynasty espoused the idea of social reform, which brought great influence to the circle of modernism. These developments in philosophy showed the efforts made by the Eastern Zhejiang School to heal the corrupted society. Besides, Zhang Xuecheng, Wan Sitong and Quan Zuwang were also the representatives of Eastern Zhejiang School. Zhang invented the local topology, thus initiating the important sub-branch of China's historiography. His work General Survey on Literature and History enjoyed a high reputation together with an earlier work Survey on History written by Liu Zhiji of Tang dynasty. In late Qing dynasty, the famous Haining scholar Wang Guowei investigated into the Chinese ancient history, drama, literature and phonology, and contributed a lot to these fields.

As for arts and literature, the poems and prose of Zhao Mengfu, Yang Weizhen, Liu Guan and Huang Jin occupied important positions in Yuan dynasty. From Ming dynasty on, the folk arts developed in different forms like fiction, drama, story telling and ballad-singing as a result of the development of the commodity economy. About the period of late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, two Hangzhou native writers Luo Guanzhong and Shi Nai'an wrote the well-known saga novels The Romance of Three Kingdoms and Heroes of the Marshes respectively. Western Zhejiang Ci Poem School represented by Zhu Yizun and Li Hu were famous for their traditional poems. Besides, the prose written by Song Lian and Liu Jizhi, the essays by Zhang Dai, the articles by the so-called Three Maos (i.e. Mao Qiling, Mao Jike, Mao Xianshu), Jiang Chenying, Hong Sheng and Zha Shenxing were also very important to Chinese literature. 
   
In the field of drama and folk arts, there were lots of Zhejiang native Za-Ju (a folk art form) writers like Fan Kang and Jin Renjie, and some visiting writers like Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, Qiao Ji, Zheng Guangzu and Qin Jianfu. Thus Hangzhou became one of the two centers of folk arts, the other being the capital Dadu (i.e. Beijing). As the birthplace of Southern Operas, Zhejiang had two famous plays The Tale of Bowing in Salute to the Moon and The Tale of Killing the Dog which ranked among the four major southern opera plays in Yuan dynasty. The Tale of Pi-pa by Gao Ming marked the highest peak of Southern Operas and was considered the origin of opera. Besides, there were lots of different tones developed in the opera performances like Haiyan tone and Yuyao tone in Ming dynasty, Gao Qiang, Luan Tan, Tiao Qiang and Tan Huang in early Qing dynasty. Gradually, some local opera forms came into being, such as Wu Opera, Shao Opera, Ou Opera, He Opera, Hu Opera, Yao Opera, Yong Opera and Yue Opera. The excellent playwrights like Gao Zecheng in Yuan dynasty, Xu Wei in Ming dynasty and Hong Sheng in Qing dynasty presented many classical plays like The Tale of Pi-pa, The Four Voices of Apes, The Ten Tunes of The Old Man With Bamboo Hat and The Palace of Eternal Life, and they contributed a lot to the folk arts.

 Zhao Mengfu, Washing The Horses

As for painting and calligraphy,, Zhao Mengfu, a Huzhou native in Yuan dynasty was good at both painting and calligraphy. He wrote a lot of stone inscriptions and established his own style as the Zhao's Style. Moreover, three Zhejiang natives Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen and Wang Meng together with the Jiangsu painter Ni Zan were called the Four Great Painters In Late Yuan Dynasty. The works of the Ming dynasty painter Dai Jin were known for their connotative, fresh and elegant style, which characterized the Zhejiang Style. The great scholar, calligrapher and painter Xu Wei was one of the inaugurators of the Chinese ink-and-wash paintings and the flower-and-bird paintings. About the late Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty, there was a painter named Chen Hongshou who was good at figure paintings with a delicate style that was the best of the time. One of the famous Eight Geniuses of Yangzhou, Jin Qinong (a Hangzhou native) also created a unique style of painting.
   
With the prosperity of handcraft and commerce, the technological level of Zhejiang stepped into a higher stage than ever.. The Hangzhou Embroidery and Hangzhou Paper-cut became well known across the nation. In the Ming & Qing dynasties especially, the so-called ¡°Three Sculptures and One Modeling¡± became the representatives of Zhajiang technological level. The term refers to Dongyang Wooden Sculpture, Qingtian Stone Sculpture, Boxwood Sculpture and Ou Modeling. There were lots of other commodities, such as art umbrellas and fans, bamboo and grass products, drawnwork embroideries and jewels. 

 Qingtian Stone Sculpture

In the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the construction of Shu Yuans (i.e. colleges) and libraries was another outstanding characteristic of Zhejiang Culture then. 
   
Shu Yuan is a unique organization for study and research in ancient China. The origin of Shu Yuan in Zhejiang can date back to middle Tang dynasty when Shaoxing Lizheng Shu Yuan was established. Later there were Anding Shu Yuan in Huzhou, Longshan Shu Yuan in Jiande County, Yingshan Shu Yuan in Suichang of the Northern Song dynasty; the Four Shu Yuans of the Southern Song dynasty (ie. Lize, Yuelu, Bailudong and Xiangshan), Xihu Shu Yuan in Hangzhou, Baihua Shu Yuan in Dongyang, Zhengxue Shu Yuan in Wuzhou of the Yuan dynasty. The Shu Yuan Culture reached the height of splendor in the Ming & Qing dynasties. In the Ming dynasty, there were altogether 290 Shu Yuans in Zhejiang among which the Wansong Shu Yuan in Hangzhou and Yaojiang Shu Yuan in Yuyao were the most famous. In the Qing dynasty, the total number of Shu Yuans amounted to 560 among which Chongwen Shu Yuan and Ziyang Shu Yuan in Hangzhou and Yue Hu Shu Yuan in Ningbo were among the tops. Many well-known scholars like Lu Zuqian, Chen Liang, Ye Shi, Wang Shouren and Huang Zongxi used to be the resident lecturers or administrators of some particular Shu Yuans. There they explained their opinions and points of learning and educated their own students. Thus the national learning schools like Jinhua School, Yongjia School, Yongkang school, Siming School and Yaojiang school came into being.

During the Ming & Qing dynasties, libraries emerged in large numbers, and they kept close connections with the Shu Yuans. Chinese ancient libraries played the key role in the conservation of books and transmission of knowledge. The book collection in Zhejiang was well known across the nation. In the past dynasties, the private book collection activities in Zhejiang had been famous for its long history, large scale, outstanding characteristics and contribution. In late Qing dynasty, the collection of Tianyige Library in Ningbo and Baisonglou in Huzhou reached half the total collection of the whole nation in amount. The private library, Jiayetang in Nanxun district of Huzhou city was the largest in scale and the finest in book quality of the nation. From the Jin dynasty to Qing dynasty, there had been about 400 bibliophiles, 188 libraries in 48 counties of Zhejiang Province. Nowadays, there are some well-preserved ancient libraries in Zhejiang like the royal library Wenlange in Hangzhou, Tianyige in Ningbo, Yuhailou in Rui'an and Jiayetang Jin Nanxun. When the Complete Library of Four Branches of Books was completed in the reign of emperor Qianlong in the Qing dynasty, a copy was sent to Hangzhou Wenlange Library, making a great event in the history of Zhejiang literature. The foundation of the Guyue Library in Shaoxing in 1902 marked the transition of private libraries to public ones and the beginning of the modern libraries in China. Additionally, the Zhejiang Library, renovated in 1903 on the basis of the former Hangzhou Library (in 1900), was one of the earliest provincial public libraries of China. 

   Wenlange Library